Homeschooling: A Family Matter
by Julia Soliday
Have you ever thought about educating your child at home? If so, have you ever given it a second thought? Most parents haven’t even heard of it before, much less given it a thought. What they tell me is that their kids are getting a proper education at their schools. Or so they think. Regrettably, what we think is not always the same thing as what is true.
Conformity, rather than academics, is the emphasis of contemporary education. Kids are rigorously tutored in the art of getting along with their government-assigned peers while being provided with just enough actual instruction to get them through to the next year of school. Generally what they are taught is not enough to get them into a decent college, let alone what would be necessary to enable them make a decent living for their own families when they’re grown up.
I want better than that for my children. Rather than settling for a path chosen for them by some officious stranger, I want them to have enough education to pick their own path to success. It’s my responsibility to make sure my kids grow up understanding that they are important human beings who are capable of achieving great things and of taking care of themselves. Children who grow up in the public school setting are not getting that now and things are not looking good that it will change any time soon.
The government schools produce a steady parade of people suited for life in a collectivist hive, where some will be workers, others will be soldiers, and more than a few will be drones. Our kids deserve better than this. They deserve the chance to be brilliant in their own right, choosing whom they want to be, doing what they want to do, and going as far as their passion and commitment can take them. My job is only to give them the tools that they need to make that happen for themselves and not let their paths be dictated to them by an Old World "rule of thumb" teacher using New World tactics.
As a new parent just seven short years ago, I thought that my kids would go to school with the rest of the kids their own age and learn what the other ones are learning. That’s an option that could very easily disappear if something really terrible were to happen.
What would be the educational prospects for our children in the wake of a full-fledged economic collapse, or other social upheaval? What will happen to their schools? Who will teach them? It is our responsibility as parents to make sure that we are prepared to teach our children at home in case any possible catastrophic scenario takes place that is beyond our control. The education of our children is paramount if something like that were to happen.
Knowing where to get homeschooling materials and supplies is a necessity that every parent should be thinking about, even those not currently educating their children at home. Homeschooling websites and places to get free and low-cost free materials are becoming easier to find with each passing day. Just type "homeschooling" in any search engine on the web and you’ll see the over 14 million results. It’s an incredible thing that this much information is available to parents.
The web abounds in great online curricula for homeschoolers. However, in the event of an emergency, it would be crucial to have some actual books and other hard-copy materials on hand. You want to be able to educate your children when the schools have to be closed or any emergency situation comes along. You want to prepare for almost anything, and educating your children is no exception.
Start collecting some great resources now while you’re thinking about it, and start looking at everything that’s available for you and your kids. Get some basic materials for reading, writing, math, and some arts and crafts projects. It doesn’t take much to have a great collection of functional homeschooling items ready for whenever you might need them.
Hit some local yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, or even the library for some great deals on good books for your home school. Browse through the web to find the best deals now while you have the time. Keeping appropriate age and grade level workbooks and reading books for the current ages of your children is a good idea, and if you don’t use them this year, you can always sell them or give them to someone who will use them later. You should be ready to do this at a moment’s notice if you need to.
Is homeschooling difficult? It certainly can be at times, but it’s well worth the trouble and effort once a parent sees his child learning and putting things together for himself. That’s the fun part of the learning process. This is being done every day by the estimated 900,000 to 2 million children being homeschooled right now.*
There is nothing better for you as a parent than to know that your kids’ education will continue even in catastrophic circumstances. Children need to know that even in a dire emergency, all of their needs will be taken care of, including their education.
Here are some of my favorite sites to get information about homeschooling, curriculum, materials, and laws in your state about homeschooling:
http://hslda.org/ Home page for the Home School Legal Defense Association. Great site to look up the laws pertaining to homeschooling in your state and what is required to maintain educational standards with global news updates about homeschooling. A much-needed resource for homeschoolers in any state.
http://www.home-school.com/groups This is a great site for information about homeschooling groups and organizations in your area, with plenty of articles and curriculum ideas.
http://homeschooling.about.com/ General information about homeschooling with articles, links, and a discussion forum to discuss ideas and issues about homeschooling.
https://www.k-12freehomeschool.org/ Free Creation-based online curriculum. The only cost is the shipping for the multimedia CDs. The elective classes do cost extra but the core classes are free for K through 12th grade.
http://www.lessonpathways.com/ Free Unit Studies online curriculum for K through 5th grade. Our family loves this site.
http://sitesforteachers.com/ The ultimate directory site for homeschooling web sites. Practically anything can be found here. I haven’t been through all of this one yet. It’s that huge!
http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm Free Bible study curriculum for K through 4th grade.
http://www.padfield.com/downloads/curriculum.html Free Bible study curriculum for elementary students.
http://www.aophomeschooling.com/diagnostic-tests-sos.php Free placement tests to assess where your child is in terms of grade level in each subject area. This is a very useful tool.
http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/alternative-education/56352.html
"How Many Homeschoolers Are There?" Family Education website, September 5, 2010.
Julia Soliday is an independent freelance writer, activist and mother of two. She has been homeschooling her children for the last three years, and has no intention of doing otherwise.
What Are You Gonna Do About a Nuclear Threat or Device?
by Bill & Janet Liebsch
Please note that this topic is covered more extensively in our book IT’S A DISASTER! Here are some key preparation tips.
No one wants to think about a nuclear crisis -- and hopefully it will never happen. But we as a nation must accept the fact tensions are rising globally, and we should prepare ourselves and our loved ones in the event the unthinkable strikes our soil.
For decades, movies and other media depictions have portrayed a nuclear attack as a "doomsday" event, implying that most people would be killed on impact, and that any survivors would want to die once they come out of their shelters. In reality, unless you are actually at ground zero or within a several-mile radius of the blast zone (depending on the size of the nuke, of course), there is a very high probability you’ll survive, as long as you limit your exposure to radiation, take shelter with proper shielding, and wait for the most dangerous radioactive materials to decay.
Here are some critical tips for surviving an incident involving a nuclear detonation:
Radiation detection devices: You can’t see, smell, taste or feel radiation, but special instruments can detect
even the smallest amount. Since it may take days or weeks before First Responders get to you, consider having these devices handy during a crisis or attack since they could save your life.
Survey meter - measures rate of exposure or intensity of radiation at a specific location if you were to stay there for an hour ... like a speedometer in a car (cost: $300-$1,000+).
Dosimeter - a pen-like device you can wear that measures total dose or accumulated exposure to radiation as you move around (needs a charger too - cost: $45-$65+ each).
KFM kit - (Kearny Fallout Meter) measures radiation more accurately than most instruments, since it’s charged electrostatically. Find plans online or available as a low-cost kit ($40-$75). And it’s a great science project for kids.
NukAlert - a patented personal radiation meter, monitor and alarm small enough to fit on a key chain. The unit warns you with chirping sounds if it detects radiation (cost: $160).
Reduce exposure - Protect yourself from radioactive fallout with:
Distance - the more distance between you and fallout particles, the better.
Shielding - heavy, dense materials (like thick walls, earth, concrete, bricks, water and books) between you and fallout are best. Stay indoors or below ground. (Taking shelter in a basement or a facility below ground reduces exposure by 90%. Less than 4 inches (10 cm) of soil or earth can reduce the penetration of dangerous gamma rays by half.).
Time - most fallout loses its strength quickly. The more time that passes after the attack, the lower the danger level.
The "seven-ten" rule - For every sevenfold increase in time after the initial blast, there is a tenfold decrease in the radiation rate. For example, a 500 rad level can drop to 50R in 7 hours and down to 5R after 2 days (49 hours). In other words, if you have shelter with good shielding and stay put for even just 7 hours ... you’ve really increased your chances of survival. Your detection devices, emergency radio or cell phone (if the last two are working, that is) can assist you in knowing when it’s safe to come out.
Indoor shelter locations - If you don’t have a fallout shelter, these options could provide protection from dangerous radiation by using proper shielding materials.
Basement - find the corner that is most below ground level (the further underground the better).
One-story home / condo / apartment - if no underground facility is available, find a spot in the center of your home away from windows. Trailer home - find sturdier shelter if possible (like a basement or brick or concrete building).
Multi-story building or high-rise - go to center of the middle section of the building. Note: if the rooftop of a building next to you is on that same floor, move one floor up or down, since radioactive fallout would accumulate on rooftops.
Avoid the first floor (if possible), since fallout will pile up on ground outside.
Indoor Shelter Shielding
Some very basic ways to build an expedient last-minute shelter in your home, apartment or workplace to help protect you from dangerous radiation include...
Set up a large, sturdy workbench or table in location you’ve chosen. If no table can be found, make one by putting doors on top of boxes, appliances or furniture.
Put as much shielding (e.g. furniture, file cabinets, appliances, boxes or pillowcases filled with dirt or sand, boxes of food, water or books, concrete blocks, bricks, etc.) all around sides and on top of table, but don’t put too much weight on tabletop or it could collapse. Add reinforcing supports, if needed.
Leave a crawl space so everyone can get inside and block the opening with shielding materials.
Leave 2 small air spaces for ventilation (about 4-6" each) - one low at one end and one high at the other end. (This allows for better airflow since warm air rises.)
If you have time and ability to do so, add more mass or shielding materials (like earth) on the floor above you. Support or brace the floor from below for the added weight as needed.
Have water, detection devices, radio, food and sanitation supplies in case you have to shelter in place for days or weeks.
Electromagnetic Pulse
A nuke causes an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that could disrupt or crash systems, so you may not have access to TV or radio, phones, the Internet, ATMs, and other devices. It could also impact response efforts, electrical and water systems, food distribution, transportation and more.
In summary, those within the blast zone of Ground Zero (depending on the size of the nuke) won’t make it. If you are a few miles outside the zone your chances of surviving it are high, but you must have detection devices to monitor levels of radiation and a plan to stay sheltered for at least 48 hours or up to a few weeks. First Responders will have to wait for the deadly fallout to decay before they enter a hot zone so the more you prepare, the better your odds of surviving a terrorist nuke.
You can read more about preparing for nuclear threats (and many other disasters and emergencies) in our 5th Edition of IT’S A DISASTER! A sobering 9-minute video from The History Channel is available at http://www.youtube.com/v/XutRKZYue3w
Bill & Janet Liebsch are co-founders of Fedhealth and co-authors of IT’S A DISASTER! ...and what are YOU gonna do about it? www.itsadisaster.net or Email: [email protected]
Antibiotics: Why You Should Store Them and How You Can Get Them Without a Prescription
by Ed Corcoran
In the event of a societal collapse, or a large-scale disaster, antibiotics will be absolutely essential for your survival, and should definitely be a part of your disaster plan. Disease is certain to become a much bigger problem in the post-collapse world than it is now -- not just because proper health care will become inaccessible, but also due to lack of hygiene and sanitation. Not many people consider what will happen to their cities and towns when their public works and services cease to exist. Waste management and garbage collection will stop, water treatment and sewage processing will grind to halt, personal hygiene will fall by the wayside due to lack of clean water, and people will be living in close proximity (some in mass "shelters") in fetid refuse and filth.
The reason why diseases ran rampant in Europe during the middle ages had less to do with a lack of medical science and more to do with the fact that people were living together in larger numbers amidst their own waste and offal. Not to mention, mortality rates were so high in some areas that it became impossible to keep up with the mounting body count. If there is a sufficient catastrophe, or societal meltdown here in the U.S., we won’t revert back to the Stone Age, we’ll go back to the dark ages.
Even if you plan to escape to a rural retreat or homestead, far away from large populations, you’ll be far more susceptible to injuries. The self-reliant life is rough. Even a minor cut could turn into a fatal injury if infection sets in and you have no way to treat it. Having antibiotics would literally be a life-saver.
Now, you may be asking: "How can I stock up on antibiotics if I need to get a prescription to obtain them?" Well, there are three ways that I know of by which you can easily procure antibiotics.
Pet Stores/Aquariums
Most national chain pet stores have antibiotics for sale. Fish diseases are treated with antibiotics identical to those given to humans. Most of them come in a liquid or powder form which is difficult for humans to take, and are less stable (have a shorter shelf-life) than tablets. However, many pet stores will also carry antibiotics in tablet form. Look for triple sulfa tablets (a combination of 3 broad-spectrum sulfa antibiotics) and tetracycline tablets. Chemically, these drugs are the same as what you would find at your local pharmacy. In fact, it has long been common knowledge among the branches of the military that you can obtain antibiotics in this fashion.
The Internet
As long as the pharmacy that you’re buying from is located in a country that doesn’t require a doctor’s prescription for antibiotics (many don’t), then they will be more than happy to sell you whatever you want -- provided it’s not a controlled substance. Now, by way of disclaimer, I provide th
is information for educational purposes only. (That is, I can’t legally recommend that you do this.) But the importation of non-prescription antibiotics into the United States is of such low priority to the authorities, (compared to narcotics and controlled substances) that they never bother to investigate. I mean, really: When was the last time you heard of anyone getting busted for importing Cipro or Penicillin?
Before buying any drugs online, make sure you’re dealing with a trustworthy pharmacy. Ask around and do a little research before you order.
Mexico
The sale of prescription medicines to Americans is a booming industry in Mexico. The main tourist shopping districts in border towns like Nogales and Tijuana abound in pharmacies. In Mexico, as in many countries, antibiotics are an OTC (over-the-counter) medication. It’s just like buying Tylenol(R), or NyQuil(R). No one will ask you any questions, or think anything of it.
Obviously, this option is not convenient for everybody living in the U.S., but if you live in a state like Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas, and it’s not too far of a drive to the Mexico border, this is a cakewalk.
You may also be able to find OTC antibiotics in the U.S. at a bodega - a type of ethnic grocery/convenience store often found in Latino neighborhoods. But this can be pretty hit-or-miss and may require a bit of leg work before you find one that sells them.
I should mention that the fact you have antibiotics doesn’t mean that you should take them indiscriminately (or preemptively) every time you get a cut, or feel a little under the weather. Antibiotics lose their efficacy and bacteria become resistant to them if they are administered carelessly. Also, there are different types of antibiotics that are best suited for different types of infections. Do your research and learn what type of antibiotic you should take for each situation, and how to use them judiciously.
Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1 Page 4